Someday
by Naidoo
Summary: Some suprise weekends have a lot more surprises in store than on might think. Especially when Penelope wants to surprise her boyfriend, but only finds herself face to face with someone else. AU. NO LONGER A ONESHOT. Rating may or may not change, depending what I decide in doing with the story.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Okay, so another ONESHOT. Well, for the moment anyway. I think from all the oneshots I've written over the past 2 years, this one has the most potential be get a follow up - nothing guaranteed though! Love to hear your thought about this I have to admit, I am tempted to leave it where it is and just... let the question 'could they, couldn't they, will they/Won't they' run through everyone's mind. LOL  
_

* * *

She loved a good surprise. And let's be honest, who didn't? She didn't need them _all_ the time, but occasionally was nice.

When she and Jackson had started dating he seemed to be full of surprises, constantly. She had met Jackson in a coffee shop one day about two years ago. She was running late for work. Stopping for her usual morning coffee on her way in – she was already late anyway, so why not? Who cared whether she was ten minutes late, or fifteen? Late was late. It was her coffee that led to meeting her boyfriend. Their orders somehow got mixed up. He ended up with her coffee – and she with his. She was certain this exact same scenario had been used in plenty of Hollywood productions, but for her it really was how they got together. Numbers were exchanged, a first date was arranged and the rest was - like they always say - history.

As exciting as their first meeting had been, as exciting would be the first few months of their relationship. Jackson had been the kind of guy who loved to surprise her. With all sort of things. _Had been _was the operative here. The surprises stopped quite a while ago and Penelope couldn't complain – it somehow was to be expected.

Two weeks ago had been her 30th birthday and Jackson had presented her with a 'surprise weekend'. Not on the exact weekend of her birthday though. That's how she ended up in the middle of nowhere – that's how it at least felt – on a rather cold Friday night in the middle of February.

Her surprise weekend brought her to Portland, Oregon. Penelope herself never had any desire of actually travelling to Oregon and now that she was here that hadn't changed. She was a California Girl through and through. She needed her sunshine like a fish needed water. And there wasn't much sun going on in Portland. She didn't want to seem difficult, but sitting on the edge of her bed, she somehow thought a 'surprise weekend' to Hawaii might have been more fun. And maybe also a bit more romantic – but then again their relationship had long lost its romance, or maybe never had much to start with. Some people now might find that weird or reason for concern - but for Penelope it was pretty much how all her relationships had been. That's what she had grown used to by now.

This whole trip already was not looking too well when she received a message from Jackson, telling her he was stuck at some meeting and she should go ahead and catch the flight he had booked for them – he would somehow change his time. When she had checked in at their hotel, he had sent her another message that he was on his way and that she should go ahead and get her room, he would get his on arrival. Yes, it had gotten that far they by now slept in separate rooms – although only when they went some place. Jackson was a classic workaholic who on some night didn't even sleep. As mentioned before, romance never had been really big.

She knew he loved her and she loved him. There was a certain daily routine that managed to get in their relationship and maybe it wasn't the fairytale story book relationship, but Penelope never believed much in them anyway. Sure, there probably were people who had them, but there also were enough people who didn't. And these people were okay with it as well. And it wasn't as if it all was bad. They had their moments – usually during little trips like this one. They might have been in a rather cold state, during one of the coldest winters of the last few years, but Penelope was sure they would heat things up – somehow.

When he had managed to unpack her few things she had packed for this weekend, she received another message from Jackson, telling her he had landed and would be at the hotel in a few moments. Time to get ready then. Time to get things going. Her boyfriend clearly wasn't the only one who had a surprise up his sleeve.

Underwear would do the trick. She certainly wasn't a femme fatale as such, but she knew a move or two. And the one guy that could turn down a girl clad in only skimpy, lacy underwear still had to be born. She knew the room attached to hers was Jackson's. That's how all hotels always did it. Good for her, since it meant she could just throw herself into whatever she wanted and didn't need to actually leave her room to get to his.

When she heard noises coming from the room next to hers she knew it was time to start. Applying last touches to her soft make-up and combing her hand one last time through her hair she was ready. The way she looked right now, she was glad the only door she had to walk through was the connecting door. She certainly wasn't too keen on anyone else seeing her like that than her boyfriend.

"You know, I've been thinking that maybe we can change a few things…" Penelope said to Jackson a few moments later when walking through the connecting door. Instead of some reply there was silence, which at some stage was followed by a low sort of whistle. Looking up she expected Jackson, but was instead looking the most gorgeous hazel eyes. And the rest didn't have any similarities with her dear boyfriend either. It took her a moment to pull her eyes away from a rather mesmerizing and rather exquisitely handsome stranger, but eventually she did and blushed fiercely.

"Oh my…. I am so sorry. I was expecting… someone else," she said and was about to roll her eyes about how stupid that last part was. _Of course was she expecting someone else_! He probably kinda knew that as well – unless of course _he_ was expecting someone.

Instead of any kind of answer from the handsome stranger there was just … silence. Looking at him again she could see his eyes busily travelling up and down her curves – something that made her flush from head to toe. And made her feel a few things she hadn't felt in quite a while. Especially in areas she had long forgotten about. Crossing her arms in front of her chest and making the first few steps back towards the safety of her own hotel room, Penelope tried to smile apologetic at her room neighbor.

When she saw him all of a sudden get out of his shirt and offered it to her she wasn't sure _what_ to expect. Or say for that matter. She nevertheless took it anyway – if only for a few seconds until she was fully through the door.

"At least we are somehow even now," she heard the most velvet voice say, before that was followed by a soft chuckle.

"For being even you'd have to lose those jeans as well," Penelope replied, widening her eyes at herself. Where on earth did _that_ just come from?

Instead of shock or anything like that she only saw her companion smile at her widely.

"I wouldn't have any real problems with that," came his answer and somehow Penelope had no problems imagining that. Someone who looked _that_ perfect probably used every excuse he could find to show the world what he had on offer. And that was _plenty_ if his well-toned upper body, ripped abs and his impressive biceps were any indication.

But she knew she should go, _had_ to go. She was in a relationship after all. But standing here, looking at probably the most perfect man she had ever seen, it was a bit harder than it should have been.

"I… um… I think I better…" Penelope started, pointed with her hand towards the door that connected her room to the handsome stranger's room.

"Lucky guy," he said softly after a while.

"I'm Sorry?" Penelope asked.

"He is a lucky guy," he simply smiled at the blonde and Penelope felt herself blush and a smile coming up.

"I'm … um… terribly sorry again," Penelope apologized again, while walking slowly back to the door.

"Oh don't be," she saw him smiling at her, his gaze so intense she almost shivered. "I think your little visit just marked the highlight of my otherwise probably rather boring stay. So thank you for that."

For a moment Penelope was tempted to say 'you are welcome' – but she could stop herself and slipped through the door, before closing it tightly behind her.

She had planned on heating things up. _This_ certainly added _some_ heat.

After a moment of gathering her rather stray thoughts she realized she was still wearing his shirt. A shirt she probably should return to its rightful owner. Or she could keep it as a souvenir.

And her boyfriend's actual room number. That was something she should maybe look into as well. But maybe not _right away_.

***-*-*-*-*-* THE END (?) *-*-*-*-*-***


	2. Chapter 2

_I guess no one expected this really to be continued after almost five months have passed. But... I kept getting PMs and reviews asking for me to consider. And since I am somehow stuck on all my 'Work-in-Progress' stories for the moment and don't want to start another story I might end up getting stuck with as well, I decided to turn to a oneshot with potential and continue it. I will have to mention though this will be written as I go along and might get updated very sporadically. _

* * *

Penelope sat on her bed for quite a while after she had returned back to her room. She wasn't quite sure _how_ long though, not that it mattered really. It felt like hours, but could also have been just a few minutes. Who knew? She certainly didn't. She heard her cell phone buzz a few times, having it turned to vibration a while back. Eventually it stopped, just to start all over again. After the third time this happened she got up and answered it, reading 'Jackson' as caller ID.

"Hi," she spoke into the receiver.

"Where have you been?" she heard his answer. No 'hello', no endearments. And his question did not sound as if being one of concern but rather irritation.

"I…. I took a shower," she lied. "How was your flight?" she asked a moment later, trying to change subjects.

"Terrible. They flight was delayed and packed with all these people. And because I bought the last possible seat on the plane I got cramped between two people," he explained, sounding irritated once more. After his statement was silence. A long silence and not the comfortable one. Finally it was Penelope who broke the silence.

"So... I was thinking we could maybe order room service and have a great night in your or my hotel room and…" she started, before Jackson interrupted her.

"You want to order in? And where would we be eating?" he asked.

"Well…" Penelope said, looking around her room, assuming his probably looked just like hers. "The bed?" she suggested, assuming that would have been the obvious choice, since there were no chairs or a table.

"What is so bad about a normal restaurant, going out and … not ordering in? I thought this was your birthday present. We can order in at home," he said and with that Penelope knew this topic was over, done and decided on. Arguing her point that is was _her_ birthday present and that ordering in was something they never did at home would be fruitless. She already had gone through enough of these arguments to know.

"You're right," she eventually agreed. "When shall I meet you?"

"How about an hour from now in the lobby downstairs?"

"Sounds good to me," she simply replied a few moments later they hung up. It took her only a moment to realize she hadn't even asked for his room number. Not that it would really matter for now.

Penelope had never been a fuzzy person, or 'high maintenance'. She used to get dressed for nights out in a fairly normal time and didn't usually spent hours in the bathroom, getting ready and made up. But tonight, things somehow were… different. Back home in San Francisco she had spent already an hour and a half packing her small carry-on trolley. And it had in the end only been half full. She had thought she was well prepared for her weekend, but now, after she had gone through all the clothes her carry-on held and having dumped them on the floor, she didn't feel like anything worked. Anything – except for the shirt she was still wearing. _His_ shirt. She knew she should return it, the sooner the better. He probably was already waiting for it, but somehow… she just couldn't part from it. Didn't want to part from it either.

She could take in the faintest scent which she assumed was his after shave as well the clean scent of soap. It was a combination that had her sniffing on the collar constantly. She knew this was wrong – _so wrong _– but she just couldn't help it. So she kept it on, found in the heap of clothes on the floor a pair of jeans and was almost ready. The shirt made her outfit not too casual and she made a mental note to definitely get the shirt back to her neighbor. Tomorrow. Just adding a pair of heels and some make-up and she was ready to go and out the door.

Jackson was already waiting for her in the lobby, looking like he didn't put many thoughts into any of this. For a moment she actually thought he looked bored, but that probably was just her imagination. He looked like he was about to head to a game of his team, with his jeans and a shirt of the Chicago Cubs – his favorite Baseball team.

It would be a night with nothing special. As a matter of fact nothing about this weekend was special. This was supposed to be a surprise weekend which she had gotten for her birthday, but neither the location nor the company right now made this anyway special. There was a moment when Penelope even wondered whether Jackson wanted to be here, in Portland, at all. And then… it happened.

How it happened she wasn't quite sure. She just knew that one moment they were talking and the next, her red wine glass was on her shirt, well… not technically _her_ shirt. The lower front of the shirt was in burgundy stains, with a few splashes across her chest. So much for returning the shirt tomorrow. There was no way she could return it looking like that.

"Just get it dry-cleaned at the hotel," Jackson remarked, less than helpful. "No big deal."

It was a big deal, to Penelope at least. But he was right. She would just get it dry cleaned, and return it afterward. She would ask to rush it, and if she had to pay extra for that, well, so be it. It was after all her idea to wear the shirt tonight.

With the wine incident their night pretty quickly came to an end, not that there had been much beginning to start with. As a matter of fact, it actually had been just like back in San Francisco, which should have maybe depressed her, but then again, she was sued to this. And somehow her plan to spice things up a bit didn't seem very intriguing anymore either. As a matter of fact, she didn't really feel like spicing things up for now. She just wanted to … go to bed. Alone.

They had just returned to the hotel, not having spoken a word since they left the restaurant and were just on their way to their rooms, when she saw him walking slowly towards her. The very handsome stranger from her neighboring room. And of course she would walk into him now, when she wore his ruined shirt. She hoped he wouldn't see her, maybe just walk past her without even looking up from whatever magazine he was reading, but no luck there either. He looked up a few moments after she had spotted him and he spotted her right away, only a few feet away from him, walking straight towards her. He looked surprised for a moment and more surprised when his eyes left her face and wandered down, taking in her outfit. There was a moment when he seemed to almost stop, looking like he might say something to her, but before anything happened, Jackson tugged at her arm and it her room neighbor … realized. Looking her up and down again, he smiling at her knowingly and walked past her.

Penelope _really_ had to return that short. The sooner, the better.


	3. Chapter 3

_AN: Sorry for the wait, but in my defence I did warn you :) This chapter gave me quite a bit of grieve to get written. It still isn't completely the way I wanted it, but my ideas where smacked down by my muse lol Enjoy. _

* * *

Of course he would walk down the hall just the exact moment when she came back, in his shirt, with huge wine stains on it. Anything else just wouldn't have been here. That was pretty much the story of her life. She somehow never really got away with anything.

She said her goodnights to Jackson and took off to her room, getting out of the shirt the moment the door hit the lock behind her and making it to her bathroom, filling the basin with water and a few splashes of liquid soap. She wasn't quite sure what good it would do, but she threw the shirt in the water, soaking it thoroughly. Penelope knew that salt helped against red wine stains, but she couldn't remember anymore at what stage she was supposed to do that. But it probably couldn't help doing it after she was done soaking it. The rest could surely be taken care of the dry cleaning company.

The next day she handed the shirt over to dry cleaning, giving them a 20$ tip beforehand to let them know to make it a priority. The girl looked at her strange for a moment, then to the shirt and just shrugged, taking it and walking away. Penelope closed the door and her gaze slowly drifted to the connection door, wondering what her neighbor might be doing at this very moment.

And _what_ on earth was _she _ doing? She was in a relationship. Maybe not the happiest out there, but a relationship nevertheless. And thinking about other guys certainly was not what people in relationships did. She had to stop. Right now.

So reaching for her cell, Penelope called Jackson, setting up something for the day. She had a rental for the weekend, assuming it might at some point have come in handy, unless you wanted to spend the entire weekend at the hotel. After she had finished her call she pulled up a website of Portland's tourism board to check out a few possibilities of stuff they could do – which wasn't an awful lot.

Penelope loved the beach but figured it might have been simply too cold for going there, even just a stroll. Especially since she didn't have any clothes with her that would keep her particularly warm with the ongoing breeze.

She didn't have much hope on their day going great, especially knowing Jackson's usually none-existing excitement for exploring things and just doing touristy stuff, but it wasn't such a bad day after all. Sure, her dear boyfriend could have been slightly happier at times, but all in all it was a great time she had. Who would have known that Portland was actually a great place to be? She imagined how it would be here during the summer months, when it was warmer and you probably could spent time at the beaches. She wasn't sure whether she would return after this weekend again to Portland, but if she would, she surely would make it back during summer.

By the time they returned back to the hotel it was already quite late and all hope that the shirt would be back in her room, ready for her to bring it back to its rightful owner was dismissed when it… wasn't there. So much for getting it back swiftly, but there would always be tomorrow, right?

Eventually the shirt would make it back to her, but instead of getting it right back to her neighbor, Jackson all of a sudden decided he felt like breakfast in town, dragging her along with him. It was pretty much the first display of any interest he had shown in quite a while and before she even would have been able to explain she would need a couple of minutes to take care of something, they were already halfway over the parking lot of their hotel and on their way.

When she made it back, it was already halfway through the day. She surely had expected this to go a lot quicker, not that she complained. The last time she and Jackson had spent so much time together and it being his idea had been…. Ages ago. And maybe that should slowly start telling Penelope that this relationship had long past its expiration date and that maybe she should have a talk about _them_ with her boyfriend. But later. Now she had something else to take off.

For the past few days she had wondered how this would go down, meeting him again. There had been several scenarios, most of them however unrealistic. In a few minutes, she would know. Choosing deliberately _not_ to re-appear like she did the first time, she raised her hand and knocked softly against the _actual_ door of his room. Waiting a few moments, with nothing happened, she knocked again, this time with more force.

Penelope heard ruffling, a few other sounds and a moment later the door opened.

"I thought you might want this back…" she started saying, before the door had fully opened. And when it was opened, what she was _not_ her room neighbor, but an elderly man who smiled at her confused.


	4. Chapter 4

_AN: Sorry for the delay with this. My muse and me kinda keep fighting. Also I had a family emergency kinda thing, which didn't give me much downtime to write. In all fairness I am not entirely sure at this stage where this all will head. I have a few ideas, but nothing fixed yet. So rght now, your guesses of what will happen next are as good as mine. :)_

* * *

Penelope smiled back, not entirely sure what was going on. Maybe there was a really simple explanation to this, like… that the man standing in front of her was… housekeeping – just that he didn't look like it.

"Can I help you?" he finally asked, while Penelope was still pondering about possible identities for the man.

"Um…. I am not sure. This is room …. 1352, isn't it?" she asked, and must have sounded ridiculous.

She saw the man nodding and a moment later a woman appeared behind him.

"Alfred, who is it?" she heard the woman asked and a moment her eyes met Penelope's.

"I think I got the wrong room number. I was expecting someone … _else_," she finally said, wondering whether she was maybe on the wrong floor. But she has about the number, and it had been the number next to her room. So… none of that made any sense.

"Sorry for disturbing you…" Penelope finally muttered and walked slowly backwards, deciding to make her way to reception and find someone, who probably could shed some light on this.

The area around the reception was empty when Penelope got to the ground floor. Perfect.

"Hi, I was wondering whether you could help me," Penelope said, approaching a young, blonde girl, who smiled at her once she noticed Penelope's presence.

"I try my best," she smiled at her happily and Penelope took that as a good sign.

"I am staying in room 1351 and … I was wondering whether you could tell me if the man staying in 1350 has... left already."

She saw Sheryl – that's what Penelope made out on the name tag – typing into her computer for a moment, before looking back up.

"He checked out this morning."

"That's not…. Good. Could you give me his name….?" she asked, but was half-way interrupted by Sheryl.

"That is against company policy, ma'am. We do not give out any information about our guests."

"Well, the thing is he kind of borrowed me a shirt the other day and I just want to return it back to him – especially since it doesn't look like a cheap one."

"If you give me the shirt, I will make sure it is forwarded to him," Sheryl smiled, obviously thinking that solved the problem. Which technically, it probably would have, if Penelope wouldn't have had other ideas.

She thought about it for a moment, looking at an expectant Sheryl, before she shook her head.

"Actually, I just remembered him handing me a business-card. I am sure there is some sort of contact information on there," Penelope lied, before turning around heading back to her floor.

This certainly had not being going the way she had expected, but then again, what was she expecting? That they'd hand her a paper with his name and contact details without the slightest problems? She should have known better, but at least she now knew he had checked out and she wasn't going crazy.

Her weekend in Portland almost was over, tomorrow, she would be heading back home. It certainly had been interesting – to say the least. And the fact that Penelope had spent less time with her boyfriend up her in Portland then what she usually spent with him back home should have… worried her, but it didn't. And maybe it was time to face the music and the facts.

They had been together for a few years now and their relationship had long lost its sparkle and the speak between them. They used to have passion for each other and there was a time when they couldn't be a day apart – now they were more often apart then they were together. And no one complained. It was just…. the way it was. Their relationship had more morphed to an act of convenience than an act of passion of love. She didn't doubt his love for her, or vice versa, but she also knew that whatever they had now was what she wanted for a lot longer. In a weird way meeting her handsome room neighbor brought that out in the open.

Just one comment and that look – these eyes looking her up and down – did more to her and her body than what Jackson had managed accomplish for the last few months. And if a stranger could make her feel in a matter of seconds how she hadn't felt in quite a while and… make such an impact on her, with her still thinking about him days later, something clearly had to change.

In the end of the day it was the rational, logical decision to make. For both of them – her and Jackson. There was after all no point in dragging this out any longer.

And after she got that over with, she should try and come up with a plan of how to see that stranger again, how to track him down. Because one thing was for sure, that shirt would get back to him – one way or another.


	5. Chapter 5

_AN: I guess this comes a bit as a surprise after me not having updated for what seems months. I have to admit I had been thrown by life into a bit of a loop and my muse decided on abandoning me, making me believe she would never return - just when I was starting to look for new fandoms to write for she magically returned. So for all of you who still read, I am sorry this takes so long with the updates, this usually really is not me. Enjoy_

* * *

Penelope needed a plan – and quick. She had already been back to San Francisco for three days and still hadn't figured out a way of how to get a hold of her handsome room-neighbors details.

She knew she had sworn to herself she would get these details, but now, back home, without any clue of how to proceed she had to realize that maybe this would not be as easy as she had expected this to be. How come in movies this always seemed so easy? There the girl that needed the guys address, name or whatever _never_ ran into any issues or was stopped by such trivial problems. There everything _always_ worked out just the way they needed it to be. And okay, maybe that was the reason why it was a movie and not really real life. Cause in movies laws and regulations somehow didn't quite apply the way they did in real life. And then… she had an idea.

"Lynch, I need a huuuuuge favor," Penelope said when walking through the doors of the office she shared with Kevin Lynch, a co-worker of hers. Holding a cup of steaming hot coffee under his nose as well as a wide selection of muffins and donuts, Penelope was almost certain that should do the trick. It wasn't as if Kevin Lynch was difficult or needed particular bribing, but from experience Penelope knew getting him to do something slightly… illegal could be challenging.

Kevin looked up from his screen, saw the coffee, followed by the treats and smiled at her almost knowingly. "Whatever it is I am certain this is still wayyyy to cheap."

"How do you know if you don't even know what I will be asking?" Penelope smiled softly.

"Because the last time you brought me coffee, muffins _and_ donuts was when you tried to get me to hack into your bank's system in order to up your overdraft so you could buy some shoes you desperately needed."

"Well…. yes," Penelope admitted, biting her lower lip.

"And you remember what I did?" he asked a moment later, tipping away on his keyboard, taking a sip of the coffee every now and then.

"Um…, " Penelope said, stopping for a moment to think about that moment a few months ago. "I believe you took the coffee and the muffins and told me to do what other people do and get in touch with my bank. And tell them I need a short-term extension of my overdraft. And that I should lie and tell them I need the overdraft because of some last minute medical expenses or… things like that."

"Yes, like everyone else who doesn't have a hacker as a friend and needs to find other ways."

"Is that a no then for my current need?" Penelope asked curiously, picking around her muffin.

"So far you haven't told me what you actually need, but I have a feeling we are heading for a no."

"I need you to hack into a hotel system and get me the name and contact details of a guest that stayed there…" Penelope said, seeing no reaction coming from Kevin at all.

There was a moment of silence and Penelope was not sure whether that was a bad sign, or maybe he hadn't heard her correctly.

"You want me to hack into a system so you can find a guy? Ever heard of online dating? Much easier and less… complicated."

"Have you seen what kind of guys are online, available for online dating? Potentially it could be a serial killer I end up dating…"

"And what makes you sure the guy you want me to find is not just that as well?" Kevin asked, a grin on his face, taking another sip.

"Can you…. Can you just do it?" Penelope asked, sounding slightly agitated.

Sighing once, he turned in his chair, threw away the now empty coffee Styrofoam cup and looked at Penelope.

"Give me the Hotel name and room number, or whatever else you know about the guy and I see what I can do…."

Penelope gave him all the details she knew and waited for some magic to happen. It took a few moments and then she saw him turn around, looking less than optimistic.

"We…. have a problem," he said all of a sudden.

"Why… what?"

"Well, the hotel seems to be more of an old school one. You see… you can book online, but they actually have no real reservation system you could hack into. I have heard of a few hotels going back old-school, or never having upgraded. They do everything by hand, on paper, with pens. Some people might call it the hacker-safest system."

"So what do I do now?" Penelope asked, seeing her chances of meeting her stranger ever again slipping to zero.

"Forget about the guy and … move on?" Kevin asked, turning around again and Penelope knew this conversation was over and so was the favor.

"And don't you have a boyfriend anyway?" she heard Kevin ask a moment later. "So why are you pinning after another guy?"

"I'm not _pinning _after anyone. I am… just….I need to return something to him."

"You need to return something? Wow that must be…quite something to return."

"Um… yes," she answered briefly and saw Kevin smile at her knowingly. "And what do I do now? I mean… I can't just…keep it," Penelope said an instant later, knowing fully well that the return of the shirt to its owner was not really her highest priority in this.

"I guess the only thing left for you to do is to hope that my grandma was right when she said 'You always meet twice in life'," Kevin grinned before focusing back on whatever he had been working on before Penelope arrived.

And maybe that really was the only thing left for her to do since she honestly didn't see any other way in getting the details. She didn't like it much, but she didn't have any other choice at this stage.


	6. you really wanna be responsible?

A/N: Call it a late christmas present or whatever you want :) we slowly get there. Not sure how many chapters are left. If my muse plays nice I could be done with the next chapter. But we'll see.

This chapter explains a few questions, well, technically only one. Why Penelope asked Kevin for help when she is such a better hacker. And thank you for not killing me that I made kevin for once actually a nice guy and a good friend of our Penelope. I actually like him nice. And with less grease and a better pair of glasses - or a better frame actually - he would be quite a catch.

Thanks to everyone who still reads and has not quite yet given up on ever seeing this done. You guys totally rock!

* * *

It took Penelope two days to realize she certainly could not wait. She _needed _to find him – no matter what. It was ridiculous, seeing she only had met him more or less once, for a few mere seconds. But that's all it took for Penelope. She never was much of a fan of these typical chick-flick girls that fell in love on the spot, the second they met a guy and knew – or thought to know – that he was _The One_. But having seen that she was no in a more or less similar situation, maybe it wasn't all so… unlikely.

That's how she found herself on a flight towards Portland again, at the ungodly hour of 8 am on a Saturday. She had half a plan, maybe not really a decent one, but it was a plan. She wasn't entirely sure how this would work out – if it would work out at all, but at the moment all she could do was grasp for straws. And maybe she also would run in him – on the off chance that she actually didn't really believe in. It was Saturday after all, and from the short meeting she had the pleasure of having with him she knew last time he had been there was on business. So chances he'd be there now, on a weekend were more than slim. But she'd try it nevertheless.

Five hours after boarding the train she arrived Portland, tired and maybe even a bit grumpy, but she blamed that on not having eaten anything since she boarded the train. A quick stop at a Starbucks on her way to the hotel should hopefully save the problem. An hour after she arrived in Portland's Union Station Penelope stepped into the lobby of the hotel that had been her destination, hoping she didn't just waste six hours of her weekend. Her return was thankfully a flight who she had managed to get rather cheap. Flying here had been no option since for strange reasons all flights were either incredibly expensive or already sold out by the time she decided on her little trip.

Penelope looked around the lobby towards the reception desk, seeing one or two employees behind the desk, chatting, laughing, seeming friendly in general. The girl she had tried to get the information from a few weeks back thankfully was nowhere to be seen, so that already was a big plus. Unfortunately Penelope was at this stage not sure how to proceed. She had only made a plan up to this point and figured she's come up with something on the way up here. After all she did have five hours of a train ride to get her thinking. Not that it helped. She didn't manage to come up with one until now. Time for improvisation. She took a few steps towards the big desk, stopping for a moment to let a pregnant lady pass – and that's when it hit her.

"Ex-excuse me," Penelope said, stepping up to the desk a few moments later, now seeing only one hotel clerk.

"How can I help you ma'am?" he asked, smiling at her friendly and Penelope almost regretted what would happen next.

"I need you to do me a favor," she started and looked up at the blonde guy, who she judged to be not older than beginning of his twenties. "A few weeks back I stayed at this hotel."

She saw him nodding, so she continued. "I met this guy and he was incredible handsome and so... charming. Naturally I slept with him…." She said, seeing the guy opposite of her looking at her confused. And of course the naturally was not so naturally, but she wasn't about to tell him that, was she?

"I don't quite un-" she heard the clerk reply, but Penelope already cut him short.

"Let me tell you it weren't the best five minutes in my life," she went on, already mentally apologizing to her handsome stranger. She somehow had a feeling if she would ever see him again and they would end up in bed, it would take longer than five minutes and would definitely be more than a pleasure. "Anyway turns out he has a wife. A WIFE! Can you imagine that? And he left me a present. I am pregnant. Preg-nant! Of course that would happen to me," she went on in a frenzy, shaking her head in disbelieve, making sure she still had the guy's attention before she went on. "Something like that would always happen to me. And you know what I really can't need right now? Pregnant from a guy who is married. And then just disappears, probably denying all responsibility. But one thing I'll tell you… I will not have my child grow up all alone, without a daddy!" she said, raising her voice and banging her hand on the desk in front of her for added dramatization.

"I…. I don't quite… um… follow, I think in regards of…" she heard the clerk speak again, but once more she cut him off.

"He was a guest in this hotel. In the room next to mine. I need contact information…." She said, almost demanding and feeling already really bad about this. She saw Jason – whose name she finally could read on the name tag on his jacket – look at her hesitant, unsure of what to do now.

"Ma'am, I am… I am sorry, but I don't think I can help with that."

"So you want to be responsible for little Emma or little Mason not having a father than? Is that what you are trying to tell me? That he won't have anyone teaching him how to play football or baseball and that he won't have Father-Son picnics on Sundays in June or… get a head-start on how to drive a car and … and…. If it will be little Emma she will never have a father lecturing her about boyfriends and… save sex so she won't end up in the same mess like her mother. Do you want to be responsible for my unborn son to knock up some girl when he is 16 or my unborn daughter to become a teen mom? Do you really can live with yourself and _that_ knowledge and responsibility?" Penelope asked, pointing at Jason at the same time.

Jason looked at her for a moment, unsure and maybe even a bit scared. Penelope thought he might soon start crying. Maybe she had been a bit too dramatic. She was about to maybe slowly start apologizing for her mental – fake – outbreak and admit to herself this was a stupid idea that wouldn't get her anywhere when she saw him skipping through a book and heard him ask for the date of her stay and room number. Penelope gave him the information and tried her hardest not to smile. This really _had_ worked?

"Derek Morgan, Ma'am. That's his name," she heard him say and Penelope was about to jump for joy. But a moment later she realized that Morgan was probably not a very unique last name in the country. And Derek wasn't particularly a rare first name. So now she had a name, but no further information. Maybe she should buy Kevin a really _really_ tall coffee and a whole box of doughnuts and muffins and hope for the best. She surely could do it herself, but the thing was she was on probation. They had somehow managed to find out that she had used company equipment and her skills for unauthorized tracking/hacking. Probably because Sarah-Jane from PR couldn't keep her mouth shut. Ever. Why Penelope was still telling her _anything_ was still a mystery. But before Penelope could come up with a way of tracking down a particular Derek Morgan the clerk pushed a little sheet of paper towards her over the desk, smiled awkwardly at her and said 'congratulations and good luck' before he left in a hurry. Not that Penelope really could blame him.

Unfolding the paper, she saw an address. A moment later she was on the phone to her airline to change her flight to Los Angeles for a flight to Washington. She was already halfway over the country when she realized she had no luggage and only her purse and an address. But then again, for what she had planned clothes were optional anyways.


	7. Infiltration

_A/N: SURPRISE! It's an actual update. Weird, I know :) I warned you, I suck at writing on the go! I must admit I was feeling not very inspired lately - so I decided on drastic measures. I started writing for a new fandom - and it is slash. So if this update didn't shock you, the fact that I now write slash should have! LOL Also... d-kronk (not sure if you are reading this) I would really really LOVE to reply to all your wonderful great reviews, but unfortunately you have disabled the messaging. _

* * *

Penelope was halfway across the country when one thought hit her. She knew _nothing_. Not one thing. She had met him once, for a few mere seconds. She knew nothing about him, nothing at all. For all she knew he could be having a wife and six kids. And maybe now was the completely wrong time to get thoughts like this. She couldn't have thought about _that_ before she boarded a plane, or paid quite a nice amount to get her tickets changed?

Now she was about an hour before landing and she started freaking out. _Great timing_.

Penelope knew she could just turn around and get a plane back home, get this over with and just… forget about her stupid idea. And how old was she anyways? Sixteen? She was in her early thirties for crying out loud, and people of that age shouldn't just fly across the country for some guy they barely knew and had no information about whatsoever other than his address and a name. And a phone number. But no way on earth would she call. What would she say anyways if she did call? I'm the half-naked girl from your hotel room the other day? The one who you gave your shirt to and never saw again? Certainly not.

But no. Now she was here. She made it that far, she could make it a tiny bit further. So she got herself a taxi, gave the driver the address and set out for the last part of that spontaneous trip. Penelope wasn't quite sure what to do after this, when the taxi stopped. What should she be doing? Ringing the door bell and see what happened?

She still hadn't managed to make up her mind when the taxi came to a stop and the driver looking at her expectantly, telling her they'd arrived. She paid the driver, got out and felt somehow lost. It was a nice area, she had to admit. Three-story buildings on both sides of the street, aligned with trees in front of them this looked like any other better part of town. And until now she had to admit she didn't quite know what to expect. She was somehow not thinking that far. Not that it really mattered. What mattered were her next steps, which she still wasn't sure about. Turning herself around to take a good look around the street she was standing in she realized that opposite of the house one Derek Morgan lived in there was a coffee shop. Maybe she should start there, get a coffee, sit down and … wait.

So waiting she did. She had caught an overnight-flight and had gotten into Washington quite early in the day. After several coffees and a few hours spent looking out of the large window of the shop, Penelope felt slightly like a stalker. And then… she saw him. Exciting a cab. A moment later a woman appeared next to him, exiting the cab as well and laughing at him. He returned the smile and Penelope felt all blood draining from her face. And how utterly stupid of her. Of course a guy like _him_ would have someone. A wife, girlfriend, whatever. But there was no chance he would be _single_. What had she been thinking?

Looking at her watch she wondered if there was still a flight she could catch to Los Angeles, packing up her stuff and browsing on her phone through departure information for the Washington airports. She was so busy checking out flights – and prices therefore – that she didn't notice she was running into someone until the actual run-in and her coffee ending one someone's shirt.

"I'm so sorry," Penelope half gasped, reaching for napkins and pressing them frantically against the now soiled piece of cloth. "I was not… watching were I was going and … having so many things on my mind," Penelope said apologetic, still not looking up and pressing more napkins against the shirt, probably making it worse than better.

"I hope he was worth it," she heard all of a sudden an amused voice – a voice that sounded familiar. "Assuming it was someone you thought about."

Penelope looked up surprised and locked eyes with Derek Morgan, who still looked rather amused until his expression changed into surprised when he seemed to recognize her.

"Well hello again," he all of a sudden said, beaming at her widely. "I certainly didn't expect to see you ever again."

"Um…" Penelope started, realizing she didn't quite have a plan in regards of how she should play this. She _should_ act surprised, anything else might seem…. Weird, if not to say creepy. "Oh my…. Portland, right?" she asked, hoping to be half-believable. Knowing her acting talent, she probably wasn't.

Derek just nodded. "Seeing you all dressed I didn't recognize you for a moment," he just grinned, making Penelope blush for a moment. And she felt like this had been a stupid idea, but then again she came to that conclusion when she had seen him exit a cab, a girl in tow.

"Are you living around here?" he asked, looking around for a moment as if he was trying to figure out which of the houses along the street could be her apartment.

"Um… no. I live in San Francisco. Just here for the weekend…" she smiled softly at him.

"All by yourself?" Morgan asked a moment later, looking around the coffee shop as if trying to figure out whether any of the guys around were with her.

"Yes. All by myself. Just…. needed a break. For the weekend. Washington seemed a good choice …"

"Your boyfriend let you just… travel cross-country all by yourself and … doesn't mind?" she heard him ask. And the way he said 'all by yourself'…

"For your information… I'm a grown woman and I am well capable of travelling all by myself. And I certainly do not need anyone's permission if I feel like travelling cross-country," she said, looking at him less than impressed. A moment later she felt bad, especially when she saw him expression. It was the sleep-deprivation.

"I'm certain you need no one's permission," he said, his hands thrown up in surrender almost. "And trust me, there was no doubt for a second that you aren't a grown woman. Grown up in all the right places," she heard him say a moment later, a smile that could be described as leering on his lips. She might have smiled at that. She felt the blush coming up once more.

"I'm sorry … that was uncalled for. I just… didn't get much sleep."

"I hope for all the right reasons," he laughed and Penelope needed to laugh as well.

"No. I'm actually single…" she admitted and saw him look at her surprised.

"What happened to the guy in Portland?" he asked curious.

"Didn't… work out."

"Wait…. You telling me you stood in front of him like you walked into my room and it… didn't work out?"

"Um…. I guess?!" she said unsure, not quite certain what his point was.

Morgan looked at her funny for a moment, shaking his head a moment later and smiling suddenly. "Well, I guess his loss is my gain. If you have no plans for tonight, I'd love to have dinner with you. "

_That_ Penelope certainly didn't see coming. And she definitely didn't expect this all to go that quick. But then again a moment earlier she was about to book herself back to San Francisco. And then she remembered _why_ she wanted to book herself on that flight.

"I… um…. I'm not sure. I mean… is your girlfriend not going to mind?"

"My girlfriend?" Derek Morgan asked, looking at her confused. "I'm single, just like you."

"But… what about…?" Penelope asking confused, waving her hand behind them, to where the cab with him and the girl had been a while ago. At first Morgan didn't realize what she was meaning and when he did… _she_ realized her mistake.

She had just given away to him that all of this meeting might not have been _that_ surprising after all.

_Oh shit_.


	8. Stop falling!

_A/N: Does it even make sense to say sorry? I mean, I technically warned you, that this is written on the go and usually I suck at these :) have to warn you guys a bit, there will be a quick bit of angst at the end, and no, the chapter won't end in angst :) _

* * *

There was silence for a while – a while that seemed to last hours for Penelope. Neither moved. And Penelope somehow thought she might get out of this somehow, that maybe he hadn't heard her, or didn't put it together. When she saw him look at her curious for a moment, she knew that was wishful thinking. And so not going to happen.

He looked at for a while and somehow Penelope figured it might be best to not say anything. He moved his head left and right, as if weighting his options. And then… he smiled at her. A full, teeth-showing smile. That threw Penelope completely off. She somehow had expected he would… be freaked out, maybe get angry or… just leave, without a word and another look at her. But him standing here now, quite obviously knowing what she had been up to and _smiling_ was not making her list of options. That – she had to realize – he was good with. To surprise her, throw her completely off and maybe even confuse her a bit. Somehow Derek Morgan was a kind of guy she couldn't get quite read or get an idea about. Every time she thought she had, he surprised her.

"She's my sister," he explained a few moments later, still smiling.

Penelope only managed to make an 'oh' face when she realized she completely freaked out for pretty much nothing.

"I…um… well, this is… awkward," Penelope tried to smile, still not really sure how to get out of this. Sure, it didn't seem like he was particularly mad with her, but then again he hadn't really heard the whole story, or anything about how she got here at all. And Penelope somehow imagined that once he knew _that_ bit, this whole thing would turn cold fairly quickly.

"Why?" Morgan asked, smiling at her. "I like how this is going."

"How what is going?" Penelope asked, smiling uncomfortable for a second.

"Us. And how we keep meeting. First you strip for me. Then you um… stalk me. I can't wait for what you come up with next," he grinned.

"Technically I wasn't stripping. I was… um… standing in my underwear in your… room," Penelope said, realizing how much better this sounded. Not. "And… I … um… well, I wouldn't call this stalking."

Derek Morgan looked at her for a moment, still looking rather amused. "You wouldn't?" he asked, grinning. "And how exactly would you call it um… intimidating a hotel employee bz telling him I was the father of your unborn child into giving you my address?" he asked and Penelope looked at him perplex for a moment. _FUCK!_

_How on earth did he…._ Penelope wondered, before he himself explained, still looking smug and very amused about this all.

"I'm an FBI agent. The moment you walked out of the door of that hotel, he was calling me. Have to admit, you are very creative Baby Girl."

Penelope swallowed a few times, really realizing now what mess she was in now. Or was she? He really didn't seem angry or mad, or anything really, other than amused and maybe… flattered? No, he wasn't, was he?

"I… well, I can explain, somehow. I mean, this sounds bad, but actually…"

"When I got one of our Analysts to try and find out about you after we met in Portland they didn't come up with anything. And trust me, FBI Analysts are good. Really good. But apparently you were better. Because here you are and me still not knowing anything about you, other than that you are even more gorgeous than the last time we met."

At that Penelope needed to smile. _Oh yeah_, he was laying it on thick and he didn't seem to care for how cheesy it was and made him sound. And then… she realized what exactly he had said. Did he say he tried to find her? And…

"In all fairness, I… well, I needed to find you, didn't I? After all I still had your shirt. And there was no way I would keep that. I mean, it looked rather… expensive, so I'm sure you would want it back," Penelope improvised.

"My shirt?" Derek asked.

"Yes, the one you… um… offered me so self-less when we met the first time. At the hotel…"

"Ah yes, I seem to remember. How very… generous to travel all the way to Washington for returning my shirt," he said, smiling again.

"Of course," Penelope agreed.

"So, you wanna give it to me now or…?" he asked, looking at her amused again.

"Oh you see, the thing is… um… " Penelope started, cursing herself for being so stupid. Of course he'd ask for it back once she brought it up. And how would she now explain that she actually didn't have it on her? " The… um… the things is that the airline lost my luggage."

"I think they call it 'misplace' and … how very unfortunate," Morgan simply replied, not seeming the slightest fazed. And oh he knew she was making this up, but the way it seemed he wouldn't tell if she didn't say it. And he clearly did not seem sorry. He kept looking at her, his gaze so intense that Penelope felt like she couldn't breathe. There was something about him, something Penelope wasn't sure whether that was good or bad. Maybe she should just leave and not come up whether this is good or bad.

"This… is a bad idea," Penelope all of a sudden said and seeing him look at her surprised.

"What is?" he asked, and Penelope wasn't quite sure how to answer that.

"This," she said, sounding slightly surprised about her own words and gesturing between them. "I… this is …" she started, not knowing how to go on. "Lately I seem to have fallen into all kinds of weird situations. Falling into singlehood," – although quite voluntarily – "falling more or less into your hotel room and… quite honestly and literal falling into you now, here. Maybe I should stop falling…" she said, not sure whether she made any sense to him.

Morgan made a step towards her, looking thoughtful. "Or maybe you should fall one more time and … then stop," he said a moment later, stepping further towards Penelope, whose turn it was now to look surprised.

Derek Morgan finally came to a stop, right in front of her and leaned in, until his head was next to hers, his lips next to her ears.

"You may fall from the sky, you may fall from a tree, but the best way to fall…is in love with me," Morgan whispered into Penelope's ear, before moving his head slightly, closing the distance between him and Penelope and pressing his lips softly against Penelope's.


	9. Casa Morgan

_AN: Update Time, people. I know, shocking, right? Can I just say, I had soooo much fun writing this chapter. Hope you will enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Let me know what you think!_

* * *

Penelope wasn't sure what surprised her more – the move Derek Morgan had pulled on her when kissing her, the cheesy pick-up line or the knowledge that she actually had stalked an FBI agent – not that he seemed to mind much, thank you.

When Derek Morgan kissed her there was a moment of hesitation, after all she had no idea what she would get herself into. She basically didn't know _anything_ about the guy, other than his name, that he looked damn good out of his clothes – at least without a shirt on, for the rest she couldn't speak yet. Oh, and that he was an FBI agent. And Penelope surely was not someone who walked around, kissing random people. Usually she actually required a first date for that. She was an old-fashioned girl, and she kind of preferred her guys to be old-fashioned as well.

Usually she had ruled, but then again this wasn't 'usually'. This was anything but. She had after all spent quite a bit of time trying to track him down, more or less intimidated a hotel-employee for Derek Morgan's contact information and then flown cross-country on a whim to find him. Yeah, this was neither 'usual' nor 'conventional' nor 'old-Fashioned'. And maybe who kissed who when and how and why was the least of her worries right now. Although the 'why' maybe was quite important.

It was over quite as quickly as it started. When she pulled back – or was he pulling back first? – she saw him smiling at her sheepishly. "I find this a very good idea," he said finally, still smiling.

"What is a good idea?" Penelope asked confused.

"Well… you said it is a bad idea. I find it is a good idea, if not to say great."

Penelope laughed at that for a moment, finding it amusing.

"And… just to inform you, as an upstanding citizen I see it as my personal duty to offer you shelter for the night. I mean, there probably is no flight going west tonight anyway. And why waste money on a hotel room?" he asked, still grinning, before adding "Although, in retrospective hotel rooms have been working in our… favor."

"Um… I… well, I definitely appreciate the offer. I… um…," Penelope was quick in replying, not sure whether staying at his would be such a smart idea. Not how things moved right now. At that rate, she would probably be all over him – or he over here, who cared? – before they even made it to his place.

At her reluctant excitement Morgan held up a hand, stopping her talking.

"Before you make a decision, let me just give you a few details…" he said, seeing her smile once more.

"At Casa Morgan we have a full board, so breakfast, lunch, dinner, whatever… it is all taken care of. Meals are hand-cooked by a very talented and should I mention incredible handsome cook. We love attention to detail, so you sure will be taken care of. Our very dedicated and personal service is well known all over Washington D.C. Rooms come with… connecting doors – something you might appreciate for… shall we say old time's sake? There of course is a … cleaning service at hand, which you might like, assuming after your oh so long journey you might want to get out of your … wardrobe. Of course we offer you in return while we take care of that plenty of… dress shirts in all sizes, colors and … variations."

Penelope smirked, feeling the soft blush coloring her cheeks. "I..." she started, but saw Derek Morgan holding up a hand again, stopping her once more.

"And have I mentioned the great entertainment on offer? The owner will go to great lengths to keep you… entertained," he smirked at her a moment later. "Oh, and of course we offer breakfast in bed, as well as lunch or dinner, or all three. We are not picky, or choosy."

At his last comment Penelope laughed for a while, finding his efforts adorable.

"So…" Penelope started, seeing him look at her expectantly. "What price are we talking about?" she asked, smiling at him keen.

"That," he said, taking her hand, but still holding eye-contact. He brought her hand up to his lips, pressing them hard against the back of her hand, still holding eye-contact. "… in entirely up for negotiation."


	10. Life-Changing

_AN: It should go without saying that I am feeling bad for how long this takes, but I did warn you :) I have to admit, I reached a point in this storxy where I have no idea where I am going, what will happen next, or how many chapters are yet to come. For all I know I could end up with 400 chapters, them having hot and steamy sex in every other chapter and then move to Mongolia - no, I don't think at least two of these won't happen. But maybe they will, who knows? i know this one is quite a short chapter and apologies, my muse has not been very co-operating and I admit, with the last chaoter I wrote myself in a bit of a corner. _

_By the way... I started a poll on my profile, asking whether people would like to see any other of my oneshots if you thought one of my other Oneshots should be getting a second part (or more) and such... please feel free to drop by and cast your vote_

* * *

A moment after his extensive explanation of what was on offer, Derek Morgan wrapped his arms around Penelope once more and kissed her softly. Nibbling at first, as if he was still testing and teasing, their kiss and its intensity changed a few moments later, starting a battle for domination and a dance of tongues. Neither Penelope nor Derek really cared that they were still in the coffee shop and really hadn't moved an inch.

When they came up for air again, Penelope looked at him for a moment, biting her lower lip.

"I think we might be running into a bit of trouble," she said, still looking directly at him.

"Why? What's the problem?" Morgan asked a moment later, looking alarmed.

"Well… you see…." She started, stopping for a moment to think. "That place sounds _really_ nice, but I am quite certain it is out of my budget. And I really suck at negotiating," she kept on, keeping a straight face very well.

Derek looked at her for a moment, barely able to stop the smile from spreading over his face. For a moment he really had been worried.

"Oh, well… I am certain we can find _something_ we both can live with. Installments, discounts, other…arrangements. I'm kinda a flexible guy when it comes to that," he grinned at her.

"It's 'arrangements and flexibility' like that, which has businesses quick quickly on their knees. Or worse…"

"Rest assured I only do that for special… people. And maybe instead of my _business_ you should be more worried about me having you on your knees soon," Morgan replied, still grinning at her wickedly. He saw the soft blush that tinted Penelope's cheeks a few moments later when his comment sunk in and she got what he had been saying.

"And here I was thinking I would be taken care of fairly well, when instead it seems like you need to be rather taken care of…"

"I'd say this… classifies as a give and take situation," Morgan smiled innocently.

"Um… right," Penelope agreed doubtful, but with a smile. "I guess that is settled than. I'm checking into Casa Morgan."

"And we are very happy you chose us …"

A moment later she saw him lean towards her again, pressing his lips ever so softly against hers. But before she could respond he already withdrew, offering her his arm a moment later.

"Shall we?" he asked, smiling at her softly.

Derek Morgan definitely was a mystery. At first all full of flirting and sexual implications and a moment later the gentleman and kinda old-school.

Things would definitely not get boring and Penelope was quite certain that stay could maybe be… life-changing.


	11. why?

_AN: This story keeps surprising me with every update I write. Since I am writing completely without a plan of where I am heading. Although this chapter has a very nice end - so nice I actually could leave it there. But I probably already hear the uproar going around. Try to convince me to write another chapter, guys :)_

_Anyway, thanks so much for all your patience. I am certain, with me now having recently started to write for a different fandom the question was on everyone's mind 'Is she abandoning us? Is she abandoning Criminal Minds? Never! I might just write a bit less, depending on my muse :) But I have as well quite a few stories still on my hard-drive that need to be published yet ;)_

* * *

Of course Penelope had known from her earlier spying that he really just lived across the street from the coffee shop, but even though it were just a few feet, it still gave her enough time to think about what was going on.

She didn't just start a journey cross-country to find a guy she had seen once, kinda stripped in front and then never saw again – but couldn't forget. Neither had she actually spent more or less her whole morning pretty much bunked up in a coffee-shop and eventually even spying on him, assuming the worst already, before running into him. And now she hadn't agreed of just spending the night at his place, maybe even more than one. Nope. She totally didn't. Because she would never do that. She would certainly never be very spontaneous either. Well... she used to be, but then she had met her ex-boyfriend and things kind of changed. She changed. Whether for the better or the worse was still up for debate. If you believed Kevin Lynch it was for the worst.

He always complained that she wasn't her usual self anymore. And yes, love changes people, but she shouldn't change into something that was no longer her. She never really listened to Kevin.

And now she wondered why.

Why she had given up on her spontaneity.

Why she had become so stuck up in a relationship that seemed to not do any good for her.

Why she had given up on her usual, cheery, happy, question everything-approach and … grew up.

And had she actually been really happy for the past year or so? Really, laughing out loud, having fun, being silly happy? That kind of happy that made you grin still a week after, when you thought about the moment?

Jackson had pretty early in their relationship called her on her rather childish behavior and that maybe it was time she acted her age. Now, after her break-up she came to realize acting her age didn't get her anywhere either, except to singlehood again. Well, maybe not for too long. But _that_ she certainly could not attribute to grown-up behavior. Nope. Grown-up people wouldn't jump on a plane cross-country on a whim and a gut-feeling, without any preparation or luggage for that matter. Without any idea what to do an hour after landing, or even five minutes, where to spend the night and what to do in general when standing opposite the guy you got on the plane for in the first place.

A guy you knew nothing about, other than the name and that he looked damn good shirtless. Oh, and that he had a killer smile. One that melted icebergs in five seconds flat and let the sun rise within a few moments. Nope, grown-up people wouldn't do that. But why not?

Because Penelope had to admit it was damn fun. Okay given if that wouldn't have worked out the way it was working out right now, and she would have found out he was actually married with three kids, a dog and a picket fence in front of a house she wouldn't have been sure what to do. But it didn't. And that was the main thing. Everything else…. Who really cared? She certainly did not. And somehow she had a feeling neither did Derek Morgan.

Maybe it was time to throw grown-ups over board and act like her usual self again. Kevin certainly would approve. Throw caution to the wind and just take things as they came her way, without thinking, overthinking and worrying. If this didn't work out, there would always be a plane going west again. And she wouldn't have to see Derek Morgan ever again. _If_ it went wrong, which Penelope somehow doubted at this stage.

Which caution thrown overboard, she did what she felt she should just do and that was in that moment, a few seconds after they had made it through Derek Morgan's front door, to throw herself against him, pinning him with her full weight against the back of his door and pressing her lips hard against his, starting a heated, passion-fueled, toe-curling war of the tongues whose outcome was still very much undecided. One thing was for sure, neither would give up a duel like that easily. And no one would give up domination of the other one easily either.

Right now, throwing caution to the wind felt really damn good and Penelope wondered what took her so long to do this. This felt right, perfect and exactly like she should have been here a long time ago. And maybe Derek Morgan was just exactly what she needed.

For now and maybe forever.


End file.
